Copper bracelets have been shown (I read once) to have a significant impact on rheumatoid arthritis in ankles and wrists. Many, however, suffer this debilitating disease in areas that bracelets will not easily fit around. Also, the local health food store claims that it is easy to overdose on copper
tablets (athough I cannot find confirmation of that anywhere).

So, I propose a copper patch, along the lines of the nicotine one, allowing you to absorb trace amounts of copper in the awkward places that arthritis strikes - the lower back, shoulders, knees, etc.

(I'd post links, but all I can find are unreliable New Age mumbo-jumbo, or incomprehensible medical geek-speak.)

Penn & Teller's new show Bullshit just had a great show debunking made up medicine, including magnets, accupressure, and using chiropractics for fixing anything but your back. They managed to convince some people that letting snails crawl over your face will cure your ails. People will buy anything.

I used to take copper supplements, but then gave it up when new research showed a link between copper and Alzheimer's. See the Alzheimer's and copper link above. Now I take EDTA occasionally, to get rid of excess heavy metals.

Sheesh, well, something's gojng to get you in the end. (In this context, I note that two glasses of red wine a day dramatically lower your risk of heart disease, while elsewhere, two glasses of wine a day make you an alcoholic.)

Alzheimer's has a substantial genetic component, so the fate of your forebears should impinge on your use of copper supplements. However, I also imagine (hope?) that the trace amounts of copper absorbed into your skin from a patch or bracelet would be too low to trigger detrimental effects.